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The Dilemma of Gender Specialization

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  • Judith Treas

    (University of California, Irvine, Social Science Plaza B 4291, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA, jktreas@uci.edu)

Abstract

The greater the gender specialization in marriage, the less the overlap in the skill sets and motivations of the partners. The less the overlap, the less readily can the labor of the husband substitute for or augment the labor of the wife (and vice versa). With data on 26 countries from the 2001 International Social Survey Program, this specialization-substitution argument is evaluated based on wives' preferences for household help and emotional support. As predicted, women in more specialized marriages are more likely to favor kin and others over the husband for assistance. In countries where the public approves of traditional gender roles and men avoid “woman's work†in the home, wives are more likely than their counterparts elsewhere to prefer the assistance of kin and others over the husband's help.

Suggested Citation

  • Judith Treas, 2008. "The Dilemma of Gender Specialization," Rationality and Society, , vol. 20(3), pages 259-282, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ratsoc:v:20:y:2008:i:3:p:259-282
    DOI: 10.1177/1043463108092529
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gary S. Becker, 1981. "A Treatise on the Family," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number beck81-1, March.
    2. Gershuny, Jonathan, 2000. "Changing Times: Work and Leisure in Postindustrial Society," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198287872.
    3. Pollak, Robert A, 1985. "A Transaction Cost Approach to Families and Households," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 23(2), pages 581-608, June.
    4. Julie Brines, 1993. "The Exchange Value of Housework," Rationality and Society, , vol. 5(3), pages 302-340, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Duygu Buyukyazici, 2023. "The Gender Dimension of Industrial Diversification: What is the Role of Skills Gap?," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2319, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Sep 2023.
    2. Judith Treas & Jonathan Lui & Zoya Gubernskaya, 2014. "Attitudes on marriage and new relationships," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(54), pages 1495-1526.

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